I watched 2018’s I Can Only Imagine on streaming during the pandemic when I was just willing to watch anything new. I was really shocked to find out that there was a sequel, I Can Only Imagine 2, and I was pretty excited to check it out. I will admit, I am not exactly what you would call a MercyMe super fan, but like most people, I was aware of the titular song, I Can Only Imagine and I tend to really like musical biopics, so that was enough to get me to give the first movie a chance
Where to Watch I Can Only Imagine 2
I Can Only Imagine 2 was released on February 20, 2026. A few months later You should be able to stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review
I Can Only Imagine 2 Story and Themes
The thing is, as I am not a huge fan, I kind of had to just take the story for what it was, so I cannot say for sure how accurate it is to real life. What I can say is that I Can Only Imagine 2 was just as entertaining as the first movie, and if you enjoyed that, I am pretty sure you will have just as good a time here. I get that these faith-based movies are not for everyone, but as this is a Christian band, it is to be expected.
This takes place after MercyMe has had their critical and financial success with their song, I Can Only Imagine. Bart Millard is married to his sweetheart Shannon from the first movie, as we see his family and find out that his young son, Sam, has type 1 diabetes, and then the movie jumps forward a decade.
There is a lot to take in here with I Can Only Imagine 2. Bart takes Sam on the road with him, and you see the ups and downs that their relationship has. It is not as extreme or violent as the relationship Bart has with his dad in the first movie. However, there is a lot of tension here, and while Bart clearly wants Sam to succeed with his dreams of being a music star. You can also see that he wants to be a good dad first.
Emotional Storytelling
In addition to the Millard family drama, we also have a heartbreaking plot with music star Tim Timmons and the health problems that he is going through, as well as his becoming a new father and being worried that he will not be there for his kids. There is some back and forth with Tim and Bart, and ultimately, the movie is about the formation of the popular song, Even If. By the way, I think that, as Even If is the main song of this movie, a better title for the movie would have been I Can Only Imagine 2: Even If. I think adding that subtitle would have been a good idea.
Final Thoughts
Like the first movie, you have a lot of heartbreak and drama here, but there is also a lot of heart, hope, and love as well. If you enjoy musical biopics, I am pretty sure that you will find more than enough to like here. I ended up liking this as much as the first movie, and I think that they would make for a decent double feature. I say this as someone who is not even a huge fan of the music of MercyMe, even after watching these movies.
